Friday, December 19, 2014

Quincy Elementary - Student Recognition & Opportunities

Some fun and exciting things are
happening at Quincy Elementary these days!Quincy, a signature art school,
boasts a strong arts program and its students are constantly churning out little
masterpieces. Earlier this month, a mural painted b...y Quincy
students was hung prominently in downtown Topeka. One little artist who
contributed to that piece, Callie Jones, will also have her work published in
the 2015 Kansas Fire Safety Poster. Callie’s work was chosen from 110 entries
across the state in the Second Annual Office of the State Fire Marshal Fire
Safety Poster Contest.

Another Quincy student, a young man named Joshua, won the
Topeka Public Schools Holiday Card Contest this year. The district’s students
were invited to submit holiday-themed pictures to be considered for the annual
TPS holiday card. Joshua’s simple yet colorful depiction of a Christmas tree won
the challenge and was printed on cards that were sent out by school board
members and district administrators. In addition to being recognized for
their artistic abilities, Quincy students are also receiving the opportunity to
do some fun and creative learning. Students in second grade created books
inspired by their photos of wind. Second grade teacher Tara Jones commented that
the art-integrated lesson engaged those students that previously had trouble
focusing on writing tasks. She also added, “The handmade books displayed some of
the best writing of the year!” The second grade classes also infused drama into
their language arts lesson through a reenactment of the book “The Great Gracie
Chase: Stop that Dog!” to emphasize sequence of events. What a fun and creative
lesson!
Meanwhile, the art room was literally snapping with creative
collaborations in music and illustration with Artist in Residence Shane Evans.
Shane started his presentation with some guitar music that inspired the students
to join in snapping their fingers and clapping out rhythms. Shane then shared
his cartooning talents illustrating characters that were inspired by student
suggestions. Mackenzie, a fifth grader, started off one drawing session with a
fiction writing idea that she has been working on: Zombie Apocalypse. By the end
of the session, Shane had created a new super hero with drawing tools in her
pockets and, at the insistence of the audience, Bacon Man had entered the story.
Mackenzie stopped by the next day and said she had already completed the title
cover page for her novel, “Zombie Apocalypse and Bacon.”Shane read his book
“Olu’s Dream” and ended the presentation sharing his sketchbook and the singing
“Olu’s Dream” theme song. (“…your imagination has no boundaries…you can be who
you want to be….dream oh dream…..bring these dreams to life”)Ms. Jacobs,
kindergarten teacher, said several of her students arrived the next day to
school with sketchbook and drawing tools ready to record their own ideas for a
story!The teachers and students at Quincy continue to impress and entertain
us with their creativity. Keep up the great work, Roadrunners!